Finally! A New Couch!

Remember when we bought a new couch? Back like a million years ago? Well, it finally got delivered today! Woo Hoo!

We went from this ugly thing that pokes you in the back with springs:


To this pretty comfy thing:


It's even too big to fit in the frame! Hurray for being able to take naps on the couch! When I first moved to my apartment I didn't have a bed and I slept on that old couch. I don't miss that at all. Do you see that pretty throw on the couches? It was a wedding gift and I have to admit that I kind of picked the couch to go with the throw.

Now I just need to convince people to come get our old couch. This apartment is too tiny for two couches!

It's True!

Bugs

"I was sitting at my desk eating lunch when a bug fell from the ceiling and landed about a foot from my sandwich," I explained to Ben. "It scurried across my desk and I realized it was one of those creepy house centipedes."

"Oh yeah, I've seen those around here," Ben interuppted.

"Wait....what?! By around here to you mean in Ohio or in our apartment?"

"Ummm...."

"Because those seriously are the grossest bugs ever!"

"They have huge legs and move really fast?"

"Yes. Those things freak me out so much! I don't think you meant the same bug I mean."

"Are they brown?"

"Yes. Oh those give me the creeps!"

"....ok...."

"So anyway, this centipede ran across my desk to under my laptop. I couldn't bring myself to pick the laptop up to kill it. What if it crawled on my hand? So I got Geoff to come in and kill it. And then we lost it! We couldn't find it in the room. I told Geoff he had to find it or I was going to feel it crawling up my legs all day long! Eventually he found it and killed it."

"Happy ending."

"Did you really see one in our apartment?"

"Maybe...."

"Ewwww! I don't believe you! Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure."

"No way! Let me show you a picture. Is this what you saw? This creepy thing?"

"Ummm... probably not."

"Really?"

"....."

"Don't lie to me just so I feel better."

"mmmm... yes. That was in our apartment."

"Where?"

"The bathroom."

"Yugghhh. I am never going to be able to get anything out of that bottom cabinet ever again. Goodbye TP and tampons...."

Personal Evaluation

A conversation with my co-worker this week:

Me: How was your date this weekend?

Co-worker: Good. We had to end it early because she wasn't feeling well.

M: Was she really not feeling well or did she just want to end it early?

C: I don't know. There was a nice kiss goodnight and another date planned.

M: Ewwww. She was sick and you kissed her?

C: Whatever..... We don't have much in common. I realize I don't have much in common with a lot of people because I am kind of odd.

M: (Dying Laughing)

Tortilla Soup

This morning it was windy and rainy. It was a good day for soup! And then it got all warm and sunny and not so fall-like but we will pretend it was a good soup day. I wanted to share this Tortilla Soup recipe because it actually turned out! I made it a while ago and just never got around to posting it.... so here it is.... the recipe I didn't screw up:

Tortilla Soup

2 teaspoon olive oil
4 corn tortillas (cut in 2 in strips)
1 teaspoon olive oil (I know! This is redundant. Stick with me though ok? We'll get through this.)
1 medium onion, chopped
28 oz of ready-to-serve vegetable broth
4 chopped tomatos
1 chopped pepper
1 Tablespoon lime juice
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 cloves of garlic, pressed (or chopped if your budget doesn't allow a garlic press)
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (well you don't really need this...)

(Do you see that pepper? Doesn't it look spicy? It wasn't. That's why I had to add chili powder. If you have a spicy pepper, lay off the chili powder unless you are some spice freak and then go ahead and burn your mouth. But don't say I didn't warn you!)

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. (see, here's the first use of olive oil.) Cook tortilla strips for 30-60 seconds, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels.

2. Add 1 teaspoon of oil (LOOK! There's the second use of oil! It's like magic!) and the onion and garlic to the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until onion is tender. Stir at the commercial breaks.

3. Stir in broth, tomatoes, salt, chili powder and cumin. Heat to a boiling and reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

4. Keep simmering.


5. Stir in lime juice. Serve with tortilla strips and lots of cheese. Garnish with parsley.


6. Burn hand carrying bowl.


7. Eat soup and almost throw up. Get bowl without parsley and enjoy the soup. Yum!

I got the starting point for this recipe out of Betty Crocker's Vegetarian Cooking. The only thing I would do to change it would be to add beans and corn. Enjoy!

Movie Review

This past weekend we watched "The Break-Up".

Here's Ben's review of the film:

"It's like you just threw up in your mouth but you can't believe it so you keep on watching and it never gets any better."

We wouldn't recommend it.

Yeah Fall!

It finally feels like fall around here. Last weekend it was around 92 degrees. This weekend it's staying around 50-60 degrees. I love it.

Here's what I love about fall:

• Corn Mazes
• Bonfires
• Apple cider
• Pomegranates are in season
• Wearing sweaters
• The cozy feeling of being inside on a chilly rainy day
  
• The sunshine
• Leaves changing
  
• The anticipation of the holidays
• Squeezing in the last summer activities
• Crunching leaves
• Soup
• Taking walks

Of all the seasons, fall is my favorite. Something new and exciting always happens in the fall. Generally it's been school starting. Now, I'm not so sure but the feeling of anticipation is still there.

I really enjoy living in a place that has very distinct seasons. Fall is more pronounced by the warmth of summer and the chill of winter. I hope we always get to live in a place with seasons.

Thoughts of Social Change

Somehow, I really don't know how it happened, but somehow my e-mail address got added to the Wake Up Walmart campaign e-mail list. This happened about a year and a half ago. Wake Up Walmart is a lobbyist group that campaigns to reform Walmart's evil business practices. Now I don't really like walmart, but it has nothing to do with their business practices. It has everything to do with the types of clothing they sell.

The e-mails I get from Wake Up Walmart are pretty funny. They claim that Walmart is to blame for the toy recalls from China. They claim that is our patriotic duty to get our legislature to control walmart. Here are some of their subject lines:
"Tell Walmart: Apologize Now!"
"Walmart & Crime - A shocking new report!"
"Walmart and George Bush"
"Big Brother"

Now, I agree if everything that they claim Walmart did was true, something would need to change. But I have a hard time with their change techniques. They ask people to do a lot of things, but I have yet to get an e-mail from them asking me to stop shopping at Walmart.

Apparently asking people to avoid the over lit, crowded, noisy store is too much. Corporations will rapidly change when they see their sales drop. Executives will yell and people will scramble if stuff sits on shelves. I think consumers forget that they have much more power than the power of a vote. They have the power of the dollar.

Here's why I think we aren't asked to boycott walmart. I think because when it all comes down to it, people are selfish. I've seen this in so many other campaigns. People, in general, are willing to stand behind a cause as long as it costs them very little. Yeah, better wages sounds like a great thing for that cashier, but I shouldn't pay for it - some faceless corporation should. Yes, child labor shouldn't be used, but I'm not going to look into that before I purchase something. I agree that we should strive to be a "greener" society, but please don't deprive me of my Ziploc bags.

As Americans our consumerism has the potential to fund many human rights violations around the world. We don't just hold the power of the dollar, but we hold the responsibility that comes with it. I believe that real change won't happen unless people are willing to pay more for things, live with less and make personal changes to social problems. Until then, it's just useless rhetoric.

The radishes are going to take over the world. I swear.

Ben and I are part of an organic Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program around here. The challenge with the CSA is that I never know what I am going to get in our box each week. It's whatever is in season. I know we will get lettuce, tomatoes, herbs and sprouts. Besides that, I have no idea. Sometimes I get things I don't know what to do with. For example this came in our box today:

The world's largest radish.

What am I supposed to do with this?

The leaves!

Hey! Do you see that new picture up on the top of my blog? Doesn't it look nice, what with my feet all covered and all?

I just want you all to know that taking that picture was not easy. Because this apartment complex has something against leaves. They rake them and run over them with lawn mowers and in general destroy all the pretty leaves. So to take that picture I had to walk around my apartment complex looking for a spot with the most leaves. When I found it I had to scavenge for leaves to get enough for a picture. That's right scavenge. Like go pick leaves up off the parking lot to create a small pile of leaves big enough for that picture. I am sure I looked crazy chasing leaves, arranging them just so in a pile and then taking pictures of my feet.

Getting a good picture of feet is harder than it looks. I took like 20 pictures before I decided I had enough I could use. And then I used the first one I took. Because I enjoy irony so much. That's why.

So my last header I kind of jimmy-rigged in Microsoft Paint. This one my brother the graphic designer whiz did. It took him 2 min to do what took me 4 hours.

Well, I hope you enjoy it. Happy fall!